So I think I might start to do reviews on this thing. I love movies. And I love books. And I love music. I like telling people about these things, and recommending them to people. Hopefully it will work out.




Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen


Ruby Cooper has been sent to live with her estranged sister after her mother basically abandons her. In the years they've been apart, her sister, Cora, has married the founder of a popular social networking site and is living well in a large house in a gated community. Ruby has never dealt well with people- the fact that she could never depend on her mother has influenced her to never depend on others. She also has social issues. Through the course of the book, Ruby begins spending time with a neighbor, stereotypical popular optimist Nate, and even inspires her jewelry-making employer to start creating necklaces similar to her own: a simple chain with a key. Throughout the story Ruby uncovers some secrets her mother kept from her, and discovers that Nate is keeping a secret, too. Predictably, by the end of the book, Ruby learns that you can't go through life without depending on friends and family.
I only give this book three and a half stars because I know Sarah Dessen can do so much better. This is one of her longer books, and it took about 200 pages for me to get interested in the story. As an avid fan of Dessen's writing, it's pretty sad that I had to read half the book to even remotely care about the rest of it. Dessen also likes to link secondary characters (and sometimes primary ones). For instance, the reader may notice that a character in one book is listening to a band featured in another novel, and one of the band members happens to be the love interest for the central character in that other book. The references are usually subtle, but there were so many and some were so far-fetched that it was distracting. Almost every other novel Dessen has written is referenced in some way, and sometimes it seems very unnecessary. On a final note, the boy-girl relationship in this book was very disappointing, as well. Dessen's best novels show resolution to the obligatory conflict that arises between the lead female character and her romantic interest. The other two novels in which the conflict wasn't resolved weren't nearly as engaging as her other books. The relationship in this book is a long time coming, and when you finally get to it, it's so near the end of the book you have a feeling things aren't going to work out. Whether they do or not is arguable, but I found the conclusion to be not at all satisfactory.
If you've read any of Sarah Dessen's books, I recommend this one because her characters are interesting and the story is usually good, but if you haven't had any experience with her before, read another book first, like The Truth About Forever, or Someone Like You.